Hamster corralled after driver arrested for DUI

Three police officers in the Portland suburb of Beaverton went the extra mile for a hamster found riding in the lap of a driver who was arrested for investigation of DUI.

Officer Mike Rowe says 27-year-old Nicole Huey of Beaverton left the tiny animal loose on the dashboard when she got out of her vehicle early Tuesday.

Rowe says the woman told police she didn't have anyone who could come get the hamster, so they "should just kill it."

Police told her they would take the pet to a safe location.

Rowe wrote on the department's Facebook page that "It took three officers to capture the furry little passenger" but it was finally carried in an evidence tube to an emergency veterinary clinic. Rowe says Huey later claimed her pet.

Near Gig Harbor, Wash., state troopers say a woman driving with a Chihuahua in her lap crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with another car Wednesday.

Trooper Guy Gill says driving with the dog in her lap may have been a factor in the crash. Both the woman and the dog died.